"[The Book of Mormon] puts forth the doctrines of the gospel, outlines the plan of salvation, and tells men what they must do to gain peace in this life and eternal salvation in the life to come."(emphasis added)

It isn't just about some far away pearly gate. We can have peace now. And those who read the book do feel peace. It isn't a conspicuous leap into serenity. It's gradual, so you have to pay careful attention.

I recall one particular week I got busy and every single morning I overlooked my usual study of the Book of Mormon. By Friday I was in a notably sour mood, and when I went to give a friend some spiritual advice nothing came. I couldn't think. The well I was used to drawing from had gone dry.

3 Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts.

4 And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.

5 And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.

Countless sermons have been given, dissecting every word of these three verses, but I just want to point out the obvious:

This book claims to be scripture; it claims that holy prophets transcribed it under God's inspiration.

God knows whether this claim is true or false.

It matters to Him: if it's false he'll want to warn you against it; if it's true he'll want you to read it.

He will wait for it to become important enough for you to ask Him yourself.

He will give you the answer by the power of the Holy Ghost.

This promise has stood against the test of my experience. For two solid years I introduced hundreds of strangers to the book and pointed them to this promise. A large proportion did not read it at all, and fewer people prayed about it. But out of every single person who did pray, 100% told me that they felt the answer was yes.

You can find out too. Get a copy for yourself. You can order a free copy online here, or read the entirety of it online here. You can even download mp3's of the book on tape here.

2 comments:

Just read through your blog and enjoy the simple explanations. Elder Hafen's talk is one of my favorites. I highly recommend the "trilogy on the heart" series, beginning with "A Believing Heart", then "A Broken Heart", and culminating with "A Belonging Heart". Very insightful into the Atonement and how it is such a part of our life and our relationships with both divinity and all humanity. Then, I saw this post on The Book of Mormon. What a power for good this book has been in my life. People seriously don't even know what they're missing out on when they allow other people to scare them into not wanting to even pick it up. It has brought me closer to Christ than any other book. I find joy and inspiration in all the scriptures, but particularly The Book of Mormon. Thanks for the post!

I've had things revealed to me. As a person who's very indecisive, I honestly sometimes don't know what to do. Some would argue that when a decision is revealed to me, it is merely an expression of an inner, more confident me - that I somewhere inside myself knew the answer all along. In some cases, that may be true. In others, I know it could not have been anything other than divine revelation.

Here's another, perhaps more tangible experience. What about the time I prayed to know where my student ID card was? Totally lost. I honestly did not know where it could be (as my two year old son had found it and slid it off in a random nook in our house). I finished that prayer and walked straight to my son's clever hiding place and pulled out the card. I know God helped me find it. Why He deemed it important enough to reveal to me, I don't know. But I know I would NEVER have thought to look there on my own accord.

About This Blog

This space is devoted to giving non-Mormons, especially those who are just curious, a short tour of the Mormon mind. We have some beautiful beliefs that often get obscured by media sound bites and angry ministers.

Read on to understand the central motivations and feelings of a handful of typical Mormons.

Ask Us A Question

Please leave your name and email address with your question. (Your email address will not be published.)

We do our best to answer honest questions. Note that your question may already be answered elsewhere on the blog. Use the search feature on the top navigation bar or the label cloud to find what you are looking for.

We may post all or part of your submitted questions for clarity and in order to give context to our answers.

Recent Comments

Unfortunately, we are unable to show you the recent comments at this time.

Disclaimer

The contents of the website are solely the responsibility of its authors and are not officially (or even unofficially) endorsed by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Although we try to represent the Church's teachings as accurately as possible, you can't hold the Church responsible for anything we say.See the official Church website at www.mormon.org